Pictou County museum exhibit explores the history of slavery in Canada

STELLARTON – Dozens of individuals travelled to the Museum of Industry in Stellarton on Oct. 21 for the opening ceremony for its newest exhibition: A History Exposed: The Enslavement of Black People in Canada.

A History Exposed examines the history of slavery in Canada through individual stories, biographies, and archival records. The exhibition explores the origins of slavery in Canada, the experiences of enslaved Black people, and the enduring legacy of slavery in Canadian society.

Created by the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, and guest-curated by Dr. Afua Cooper, the travelling exhibition was developed in partnership with the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia.

“The stories of enslaved black Canadians have lived long enough in the shadows of our national memory,” said Twila Grosse, Minister of African Nova Scotian Affairs.

“The legacy of enslavement did not disappear with abolition. Its effects continue to shape the barriers and inequalities we work to overcome today,” she said.

“That is why remembering matters, not to keep us anchored in the pain of the past, but to help us understand the responsibilities of the present. My hope is that everyone who walks through this exhibition leaves carrying something with them, whether that be a name they have never heard before, a story they had never been taught, or a question that stays with them long after they leave,” Grosse said.

Many Canadians associate slavery with the United States or the Caribbean, but slavery was legal in Canada until 1834 and was connected to many of Nova Scotia’s early industries. 

The exhibition is the first of its kind in Canada, having been featured overseas before coming to the Museum of Industry in Stellarton, where it will remain until Jan. 3, 2027.

“We’re very excited to be hosting such an exhibit,” said Claire MacDonald-Matthews, manager of the Museum of Industry.

“Dr. Cooper, alongside Pier 21 and the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, has put together a really thoughtful exhibition that highlights the story of slavery in Canada,” said MacDonald-Matthews. “That story has yet to be historically told, and considering how irregular such an exhibit is in our regular galleries, we were very intrigued upon learning of such an opportunity. I hope that this exhibit will be a kind of starting point for us with this topic, and a way for us to reflect a little bit on the stories that we tell and how we might be able to expand on those stories in the future.”

The opening of the new exhibit also marked the beginning of the latest Voices & Views speaker series at the Museum of Industry, a series of engaged conversations led by four acclaimed guest speakers between Oct. 21 and Dec. 2.

In this first talk, guest speaker Dan Conlin explored the role of slavery in industries from fishing and shipbuilding, to barrel making and tavern keeping, highlighting stories of resistance, escape, abolition, and slavery’s enduring legacy.

Conlin is a historian and retired museum curator, serving 19 years as curator at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, as well as managing exhibitions at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.

“Slavery has cast a long shadow that we are still living with to this day,” Conlin said.

“We had two centuries of slavery in Nova Scotia with the French and the British, which depended on it as a critical ingredient in early industries in the province. It wasn’t just household workers either, but shipbuilders who were deeply connected to building slave ships for the transatlantic trade,” said Conlin.

“Until it ended in 1834, we were very connected to this awful, oppressive institution, which we tend to associate with the Americans instead of ourselves. It is a really important topic that Canadians kind of forgot about once we got rid of slavery in 1834, so I think it’s really time for people to think about how it worked and how it shaped our societies, as well as the people who survived and resisted it.”

The Voices & Views speaker series will continue every second Wednesday on Nov. 4, Nov. 18, and Dec. 2, with talks about the meaning of freedom; the story behind the creation of the movie Lemonade; and the ripple effects of resistance, recognition, and legacy, respectively.

Anyone looking for more information on the exhibition can visit the Pier 21 website. For more information on the Museum of Industry and its upcoming events, visit its website or Facebook pages.